WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Researchers looked at over 60 earlier studies to understand how eating processed meats, sugary drinks, and trans fats affects the risk of getting serious diseases like type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and heart problems that reduce blood flow to the heart.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, found that eating just one hot dog a day can raise your risk of type 2 diabetes by 11 percent and colon cancer by 7 percent, compared to people who don't eat processed meat. Meanwhile, drinking one can (350 ml) of sugary soda every day may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 8 percent and heart disease by 2 percent.
'This current research has shown, yet again and consistent with prior research . that to achieve health gains it is best to avoid or minimize the habitual consumption of each of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs),' said Dr. Nita Forouhi, head of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, as per CNN. She was not involved in the study.
Although these numbers are worrying, the researchers say the results are based on observation. That means the study shows a link between certain foods and diseases, but it doesn't prove that these foods directly cause the health problems. Also, the findings depend on people remembering what they ate, which might not always be accurate.
'My general advice: don't panic,' Dr. Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, who was not involved in the study, said in an email to CNN.
'Food is not just source of nutrients -- it plays a central role in culture, pleasure, family life, and social connection. Reducing it solely to a list of health risks misses the bigger picture.'
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